Everybody loves a good cooking show, and The Great British Bake Off is so good that’s it’s entertained people all over the world. In the show, talented pastry chefs compete to see who can make the most delicious baked goods. The show is fun and creative and will definitely leave you craving something sweet. While food is obviously the main focus of the series, viewers can’t help but notice that contestants always wear the same clothes throughout the episode even though the competition takes place over a two day period. If you’re one of the people who has been looking for the answer to that question, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn why the contestants on The Great British Bake Off wear the same clothes.
How The Great British Bake Off Works
If you’re not super familiar with the show, here’s a quick run down on what happens during each episode. Since the series began in 2010, it has undergone a number of changes. One of the most notable changes has been the number of contestants. 10 bakers were chosen during season one, but that number was eventually changed to 12. Every week, the show features a new theme. A group of amateur bakers are given three cooking challenges that pertain to the theme for the week.
The Signature Challenge
The first challenge is, in many ways, the easiest. Instead of having to do something crazy or step outside of their comfort zones, the bakers compete by making something they would typically make for friends and family.
The Technical Challenge
Once the bakers make it to the technical challenge, they have to prove that they can do more than just bake for family functions. At this stage in the competition, the contestants are all given the same ingredients. They are required to put their skills to the test by completing a dish with only limited instructions.
The Showstopper Challenge
This is the part of the show where the bakers really get to flex their foodie muscles. In this challenge, the bakers are tasked with making something that is both aesthetically pleasing and delicious to wow the judges.
The three challenges are completed over the course of two days. Filming can last for up to 13 hours a day. Contestants are eliminated along the way. By the time the showstopper challenge begins, there are only three contestants left. The winner of the show doesn’t win an actual prize. But the popularity they gain from the show can eventually lead to opportunities that they can monetize in the future.
Why Don’t Contestants Change Their Clothes?
Due to the show’s filming timeline, it seems like it would make sense for contestants to change clothes. So why won’t they? A contestant told Cosmopolitan that they’re actually required to wear the same clothing both days. The contestant added, “Luckily they change the aprons so we don’t look like a Jackson Pollock painting by the end of it. I think layers [is the answer], but even then you still have to wear what you had on, on top. Difficult. And everyone was always like ‘Did you buy two of everything?’ and I was like ‘No, you’re spending so much money on butter and eggs…'”
While we now know that wearing the same clothes is a production requirement, it’s not entirely clear why this is necessary. However, chances are that this is done simply to keep each episode looking uniform. Of course, for the contestants, wearing the same clothes two days in a row can get kind of annoying – especially because each day of filming is so long.
Selasi Gbormittan, a contestant from season four, said “I was very worried about a sweaty day in the tent so would spend the evening after the first day of filming hand washing my tops in my hotel room sink with a bar of hotel soap and then dry them on the radiator overnight ready for the next day’s filming.”
While the opportunity to be on The Great British Bake Off is a once in a lifetime experience, most people probably feel like filming for 13 hours a day and wearing the same clothes two days in a row isn’t really worth it. This is especially true because there’s no prize involved. Those who have been on the show, however, seem to have positive things to say about the opportunity. They feel that wearing yesterday’s clothes is a small price to pay for international exposure. In the grand scheme of things, they just might be right.
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